Zeller, a 7-foot center from North Carolina, was drafted No. 17 by the Dallas Mavericks but was traded before he reached the stage at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. The Mavericks had traded his draft rights -- and guard Kelenna Azubuike -- to the Cleveland Cavaliers for three selections.

"I would like to think I'm as good as three players, but I don't know if that's true," Zeller said at the draft. "I actually knew that I was being traded as I went up on stage. My agent told me about 30 seconds before the pick was made that there had been a trade made."

The Cavaliers wanted a big man after finishing 21-45 last season and missing the playoffs. Zeller is eager to start working with point guard Kyrie Irving, last season's NBA rookie of the year and a former Duke player.

Zeller averaged 16.3 points and 9.6 rebounds last season, his fourth at North Carolina. Cleveland's coaches and scouts were impressed with his offensive rebounding last season and with how smoothly he ran the court.

"It's a great opportunity," Zeller said. "It's something I know I'm going to have to work for.

"There's some great players already on the team, and I know that I'm going to have to go in and just compete as much as possible."

The trade cost Zeller a chance to learn from one of the NBA's best big men, Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki, but will allow him to return to his Midwestern roots. He is from Washington, Ind., and his parents will have more chances to see him play.

"I don't know much (about Cleveland)," Zeller said. "I'm from Indiana and the Midwest, so it can't be that much different, right? I know I can handle the winter."

Plumlee, a former Blue Devils center, was drafted 26th by the Indiana Pacers, completing a quick rise in the first round. Most draft analysts didn't project him as a first-rounder until the week before the draft -- after a series of strong workouts and a 41-inch vertical jump improved his stock.

Larry Bird, the Pacers' retiring team president, told Plumlee after an impressive workout that the team was considering drafting him in the first round but made no promises.

Plumlee, who watched the draft in Chicago with family members, said he was on cloud nine after being picked by a team that finished 42-24 last season and made the playoffs.

"I knew I had proved myself throughout this process, and I thought I belonged in this position, but part of me couldn't believe it," Plumlee said.

"It's like a dream come true.

"Based on my career at Duke, I knew it could go either way. I'm just happy that one team fell in love with me. That's all it takes."

Plumlee averaged only 6.6 points last season, but the Pacers are confident he can replace the retiring Jeff Foster. Bird likes Plumlee's toughness inside, which helped Plumlee to 654 career rebounds at Duke.

"We think he can play for us right now because we don't have a center on the roster," Bird said. "We think he's a great pick for what we want to do. He's more athletic than I think he showed at Duke. He's going to get a better opportunity here to show some things that he can do."

Plumlee, listed at 7-feet and 252 pounds by the Pacers, is from Warsaw, Ind.

Playing in Indianapolis will allow his 91-year-old grandfather -- Millard Plumlee, who lives in West Lafayette -- a chance to see him play.

"One of my dreams since I was little was being able to play in the NBA and for my grandfather to come and watch me," Plumlee said. "I think this is probably the only place in the country where he could actually make it to a game. So it's going to be really special for me."